Contributing

This page is the durable contributor map for Zgent.

AGENTS.md stays intentionally short. Long-lived process, quality, and documentation guidance should live here, in package-local READMEs, in tests, and in CI.

Source of truth by topic

Quality bar

• Read the nearest package README before editing code.
• Treat tests as the executable contract. Behavior changes should come with test updates.
• Treat CI workflows as the enforced minimum bar.
• Keep commands copy-pasteable and examples runnable.
• Prefer file-local or package-local guidance over repository-wide prose when a rule only applies to one surface.

Documentation contract

When a change affects behavior, APIs, architecture, onboarding, or examples, update the corresponding docs in the same change.

Prefer these destinations:

• docs/ for stable concepts, plans, and contributor-facing guidance
• design/ for deeper technical notes, drafts, and protocol exploration
• package READMEs for setup and package-local commands

Do not grow AGENTS.md into a second handbook. If new guidance is durable, write or update the destination doc and keep AGENTS.md as the index.

Verification

Before sending a change for review, run the smallest relevant checks near the area you changed.

Current enforced checks include:

• Python SDK: ruff check, ruff format --check, pyright, unit tests in .github/workflows/python-sdk.yml

Other surfaces should follow the same rule even when enforcement is still evolving: the authoritative command list belongs next to the code being changed, not in AGENTS.md.